What To Do If You Forgot iPhone Passcode

By Angelo Ilumba

Last updated 13 May 2024

Contents

In this guide:

What Happens When You Forget Your iPhone Passcode?
Reset Your iPhone from the Security Lockout Screen
Reset Your iPhone with a Computer
Frequently Asked Questions

If you forget your iPhone passcode, you must completely reset your phone and restore it to set up a new passcode. Unfortunately, resetting your phone means losing anything you saved on your device since your last iPhone backup.

There are multiple ways to reset your phone after forgetting your phone passcode and locking it. Keep reading to learn the steps you can take to get back into your iPhone after forgetting your passcode.

What Happens When You Forget Your iPhone Passcode?

If you forget your passcode, the first thing you should do is try the numbers you think might be your passcode. Just keep in mind that eventually, your phone is going to lock you out for a certain amount of time before letting you try again. The more unsuccessful attempts you make after, the longer the lock-out period will be.

If you absolutely cannot remember your passcode, the only way to get back into your phone is going to involve resetting your iPhone and deleting everything on it. While you will be able to restore your phone from a backup and create a new passcode, you risk losing data on your phone that was not backed up. Also, be aware that to restore and reset your iPhone passcode, you will need to know your Apple ID credentials.

What about Face ID?

If you forget your passcode, you’ll likely still be able to access your phone using Face ID. However, there are several instances where your phone may require you to use your passcode in order to enable Face ID. For example, if you need to turn off your iPhone for any reason, you must use your passcode to unlock the device after restarting it—Face ID will not work. Sometimes, simply not using your phone for several hours might trigger the phone to ask for your passcode rather than just Face ID. You might also run into instances when Face ID is broken.

Note that even if you can get into your iPhone with Face ID, you will not be able to change your passcode without knowing your current one.

Reset Your iPhone from the Security Lockout Screen

After multiple failed attempts to enter your passcode, you will see a lockout screen on your phone’s display. If you have iOS 15.2 or later installed on your phone, you will see the option to Erase iPhone on the bottom right corner of the screen. With this option available, you can start to reset your phone by taking these steps.

Tap on Erase iPhone.
Select Erase [Your iPhone name].
Enter your Apple ID to sign out of the device.
Tap Erase [Your iPhone name].
Your phone will start to reset. Once it turns back on, follow the prompts to set up your iPhone with a new passcode, and restore it from a recent backup.

Reset Your iPhone with a Computer

If you forget your passcode, you can reset and erase your iPhone using a computer if you have an older version of iOS or simply would prefer this option over resetting it at the security lockout screen.

To reset and erase your locked iPhone using a Mac or PC (Windows 10 or later) follow these steps:

Turn off your iPhone.
Put your phone in recovery mode. To do this you must connect the phone to your computer and immediately start holding down a button. Keep holding it until you see the recovery mode screen. If you are prompted to enter in your passcode, turn off your phone and try again. The correct button you will need to press depends on what generation iPhone you have:
- iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd generation), or later: Side button (right)
- iPhone 7 or 7 Plus: Volume down button
- iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 6s, or older: Home button
Once in recovery mode, open the iPhone in either Finder or iTunes on your computer.
You will see a prompt warning you that your iPhone needs to be updated or restored. Select Restore, and follow the next prompts to select your backup and begin the restore.
Wait for the process to finish, then disconnect your iPhone and start following the prompts and instructions to set up the phone and your new passcode.

If resetting your phone with a computer does not work for you, your next step will be to contact Apple support.

A Warning on Alternative Ways to Reset Your iPhone and Passcode

The above are Apple’s recommended methods of getting back into your iPhone if you have forgotten your passcode and are locked out of your device. There are some third-party apps that claim that they can help get you back into your phone in this situation; however, it’s best and safest to stick with the manufacturer’s recommendations in order to keep your phone as safe and secure as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t remember my passcode?

If you don’t remember your iPhone passcode, you can reset and erase your phone. You can then restore your iPhone with a recent backup and set up the device with a new passcode.

Can I reset my iPhone passcode without losing data?

Resetting your passcode requires completely erasing your phone. While you can restore your phone to a recent backup, you will lose any data that was saved to the phone after that backup.

Can I reset my iPhone using iCloud?

Using Find My Phone and iCloud, you can technically reset your iPhone and restore it. However, Apple does not recommend doing this as a way to get back into your phone after forgetting your passcode.